


In Between

by gattai



Category: Our Life: Beginnings & Always (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Give me Step 3 dlc PLEASE, Help me tag this ya'll I'm dying, M/M, Mermaids? That's up for debate, Senior year life crisis, no beta whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29987991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gattai/pseuds/gattai
Summary: Noah had always been labeled the odd ball of Sunset Bird, and Cove wouldn’t have him any other way. Hindsight is 20/20 though and revelations made during their 10th summer together forces Cove to reevaluate certain moments in their relationship. Specifically, that one time he said, “mermaids aren’t real.”
Relationships: Cove Holden/Original Male Character
Kudos: 12





	In Between

**Author's Note:**

> I personally identify neurotypical and grey-a, so I apologize for inaccuracies in portraying Cove. It’s not my intention to offend anyone who identifies as neurodivergent or demi.
> 
> The song Polly Jean from Carole & Tuesday served as atmospheric inspiration for this fic, but I never realized “in between” was used as a title in Our Life until a recent playthrough, haha.

Cove Holden couldn’t remember when things changed.  
One day, they were just different.

He thought the pressure of senior year finally got to him at first. Finals were right around the corner after all, and graduation loomed closer with each passing day. His guidance counselor had placed heavy emphasis on college applications at the start of the year although that piece of stern advice quickly escalated into unbearable nagging once winter break rolled along—and that _definitely_ freaked Cove out.

Sure, he had a rough idea of where he wanted to go in life, but it all felt too fast and too soon. Who _really_ had their whole life planned out at eighteen anyway? He wondered as seawater ebbed between his feet. Padding along the shore after school became routine over the years, and Cove found it helped in easing all the anxiety he built up throughout the day. Lately though… There was something it couldn’t soothe.

Cove turned, angling his body just enough to see behind. Another boy his age was walking along the shore though now he’d stopped to pick up a shell tossed around in the surf. With tan skin and long, sun bleached hair, Cove thought he looked the very picture of a seaside summer—even if he teased the other boy for stealing his dad’s look (thankfully, they couldn’t be any far apart in style).

Noah Last was his closest friend but more important was the fact Noah Last had a future; that much was certain considering he already had several job offers on hold. Things like that came easily when someone dedicated just about all their free time to a craft. For Noah, who spent his life until now submitting pieces for art contests and selling paintings over at the country club, well, it was hardly a surprise.

Cove was happy for his friend—and proud. Very much, in fact, considering a handful of Noah’s paintings sold well over a thousand dollars on previous auction nights. He imagined it felt fantastic to see hours of work appreciated by others on top of being generously rewarded, and the teen personally vouched for the mysterious beauty weaved within his friend’s art. Call it selfish, but Cove believed no one else understood how hard Noah worked to get this far. He was, after all, the one who watched the other’s vibrant (yet abstract) minnows transform into stunning and delicate reflections of marine life.

Whether Noah wanted an art career, however, he never said. They honestly never talked about their future together, and whenever Cove tried to think about it, he became too aware of the spiraling pit that was his stomach. It felt better ~~safer~~ to focus on ‘the now’. But… what if Noah’s work took him away from Sunset Bird? Could Cove bear living ~~alone~~ in this seaside town then? Graduation was only a few months away.

“Hey, Noah—” The series of breaths Cove took came to an abrupt halt and whatever he felt the need to say died on his lips.

Noah was staring at the ocean, far beyond the horizon where he could reach.

“…” Pained, Cove dug his nails into the scar on his arm a little deeper. (When did he grab it in the first place though?)

People daydreamed when they were bored, but _he_ was supposed to be the one appropriately named Space Cadet. Noah’s spells rarely happened. That’s why Cove never put much thought into them when they were younger. Admittedly, it was weird the first few times, but he just assumed Noah’s daydreams were a whole lot more interesting than whatever he came up with and easily accepted it as another check on the other boy’s list of quirks.

They were occurring more frequently though, and Cove found himself hesitating before being able to take a shaky breath and step over to his friend’s side. It used to take a simple call of his name to coax Noah back to reality. These days it was getting harder, like trying to wash sand off before leaving the beach. If the dreams were taking a little more of him each time, how long would it be before Noah never came back? Cove’s stomach sank at the thought, curling and squeezing as tight as it could.

“C- C’mon.” Gently (but firmly), he pulled on the other’s wrist, “Let’s go home.”


End file.
